Doll-shoe



Dec. 8, 1936. w BRA|TL|NG 2,063,660

DOLL SHOE Filed March 9, 1935 INVENTOR Tl-IEUDURE. WERHITLINE.

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE DOLL-SHOE Theodore W. Braitling, Stratford, Conn., assignor to Fred K. Braitling, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut The present invention relates to improvements in shoes, especially doll-shoes, and has for an object to provide a shoe construction in which the shoe upper is formed from a single piece of material, and in which an in-step buckle strap is provided, simulating in a doll-shoe the appearance of a childs shoe. It is especially proposed to provide a pair of in-step strap portions of sufficient length that one of them may have a buckle attached which may be disposed centrally of the in-step, while the other strap portion is arranged to engage the buckle, and further to so form such strap portions in the one-piece blank that when the blank is shaped into the form of the shoe upper the strap portions will overlay each other with their edges substantially aligned, to the end that the instep straps will fit smoothly upon the dolls foot without wrinkling or distortion.

With the above and other objects in view, an embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claim.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view from the front of a doll-shoe, according to the exemplary illustrated embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view from the front showing the instep straps un-buckled and turned back.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the shoe upper blank, out from a single piece of material.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing the blank shaped into shoe upper form, to illustrate the manner in which the strap portions overlay each other in aligned relation.

Fig. '7 is a plan view of the blank with marginal portions stitched and the buckle attached, preparatory to shaping and assembly with the sole.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the blank as shown in Fig. 5 is cut or blanked by a suitable die from a single piece of material, as leather, leatherized fabric, or the like, and comprises a toe forming portion I0, side forming portions II and I2, and in-step strap forming portions I3 and I4, these strap forming portions being formed by a connecting piece extending between the side forming portions and diagonally out along the line I5, the portion I3 to which the buckle is to be attached being preferably cut square at its end, and the portion I4 for engaging the buckle being preferably pointed at its end, as at I6, one side of the point being in a continuous cut with the diagonal out I5 and the edge of the opening between the strap portions and the toe portion. The strap portion I 3 is provided with a slit I? for the buckle tongue and the strap portion I4 is provided with a tongue engaging perforation I8.

Because of the fact that in a doll shoe the toe extends upwardly from the sole at a steep angle and the in-step strap is substantially in line with the toe the folding of the blank into shoe-upper form is such as to cause the strap portions I3 and I4 which are offset from each other in the blank to become superimposed in the shaped upper with their edges substantially aligned, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, and at the same time both strap portions are ofsufficient length to extend entirely across the in-step.

Before assembling the upper with the sole the edges may be stitched, as at I9, to simulate actual stitching, and the buckle 20 attached to the strap portionl3. This operation consists in folding the strap portion about the cross bar 2I of the buckle with the tongue 22 projecting through the slot I1, and then securing the folded under strap portion by a staple Z3 clinched about the two thicknesses of the folded strap portion, or if desired stitching or other suitable securing means may be employed. The rearward edges of the side portions of the shoe-upper are hemmed over upon the inner side and stitched, as at 24, and the shaped upper is thereupon secured to the sole by inserting the folded in lower edge portion 25 of the upper between the inner sole 26 and the outer sole 21, the inner and outer soles and the inserted edge portion of the upper all being glued and pressed together.

The shoe construction according to my invention lends itself to the economical manufacture of doll-shoes of attractive appearance, which will fit smoothly upon the dolls foot, and in which a buckle strap having a centrally disposed buckle, which may be readily fastened and unfastened, may be provided even in the very smallest sizes of doll-shoes.

I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodiment of my invention, but it will be obvious that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

For use in the construction of a doll shoe, a flat blank formed from a single piece of material comprising a toe forming portion, a pair of side forming portions extending rearwardly of said toe forming portion in separated rear- Wardly diverging relation to each other, a connecting portion extending between said side forming portions in rearwardly spaced relation to said toe forming portion, said connecting portion having a slit extending from one transverse edge of said connecting portion contiguous to one of said side portions to the other transverse edge of said connecting portion to form a pair of strap portions respectively extending from said side portions in opposed directions and each extending beyond the center line of said blank.

THEODORE W. BRAITLING. 

